World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"I need to ask for permission..."

“Money is not a problem,” Ali Pasha interrupted him. “We can exchange it for oil exploration rights. You know the Mosul region, right? Our geologists say there’s plenty of oil underground.”

Wang Wenwu immediately realized the importance of this matter. He made an excuse to get some documents and slipped out to call Chen Feng.

On the special train, Chen Feng listened to the report and remained silent for a few seconds.

"We'll give them a warm welcome, but we won't sign a contract yet," he said. "We'll tell them we need time to design a model suitable for navigation in the Black Sea. Also, we can send a survey team to Mosul to take a look—if there really is oil there, everything is negotiable."

"What about Morocco..."

"Keep stalling," Chen Feng said. "Wait until I get back."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Feng said to Liu Yongfu and Zhou Tieshan in the carriage, "Did you hear that? The Ottomans have gotten involved too."

"Are they going to attack Italy?" Liu Yongfu asked.

"It's only a matter of time," Chen Feng said. "Italy wants Libya, but the Ottomans don't want to give it up. Both sides are preparing for war. If we can sell a few warships to the Ottomans... we'll have an ally in the Mediterranean in the future."

"But Italy is a member of the Tripartite Pact, and Germany and Austria-Hungary will support it," Zhou Tieshan cautioned.

"That's why we need to be even more cautious." Chen Feng looked out the window. "This game is getting more and more complicated."

On July 6, HMS Warrior, the flagship of the British Mediterranean Fleet Commander-in-Chief Admiral Berkeley Milne, actually appeared off the coast of Dubai.

This was a colossal warship of 18,000 tons, armed with eight 12-inch main guns, and capable of speeds of 25 knots. Instead of entering port, it anchored ten nautical miles away and dispatched a transport boat.

Admiral Milne himself did not disembark; instead, his chief of staff, a major general named James Fitzgerald, came.

Fitzgerald, in his fifties, had the typical demeanor of a British naval officer—polite but with an underlying arrogance. He was led directly to a small conference room in the administration building, where Wang Wenwu was waiting for him.

"I am here on behalf of Admiral Milne," Fitzgerald said bluntly. "We would like to know whether the Lanfang government plans to respond to Germany's request to send warships to the Mediterranean?"

Following Chen Feng's instructions, Wang Wenwu replied, "General, all military movements in Lanfang are state secrets. But I can assure you that all our actions will be based on national interests and international law."

"A very diplomatic response." Fitzgerald was clearly dissatisfied. "Let me put it more bluntly: if the Lanfang warships appear in the Mediterranean, especially if they conduct joint exercises with German warships, the Royal Navy will consider it an unfriendly act."

"Is this a threat, General?"

"No, it's a reminder," Fitzgerald said. "The Mediterranean is within Britain's sphere of interest. Any attempt to change the status quo will cause us serious concern."

Wang Wenwu nodded: "I will convey this to the Commander-in-Chief."

"Furthermore," Fitzgerald paused, "London wants Lanfang to understand that Britain and France are completely aligned on the Moroccan issue. Any action supporting Germany will damage Anglo-Lanfang relations—including ongoing trade negotiations and technological cooperation."

Having said all that, it's practically an ultimatum.

After seeing Fitzgerald off, Wang Wenwu immediately sent a encrypted telegram to Chen Feng. The telegram contained only one sentence: "The British are resorting to force."

Chen Feng's reply was even shorter: "I'll be back tomorrow morning."

Before Wang Wenwu could even catch his breath after Fitzgerald left, the French consul, Dupont, arrived.

This time, DuPont wasn't alone; he brought along Colonel Pierre Laroque, Chief of Staff of the French Indochina Fleet. Laroque was a short, stocky middle-aged man with a scar on his face—supposedly from his time fighting bandits in Vietnam.

"Minister Wang, let's get straight to the point," DuPont said, skipping the pleasantries. "We know Berlin is making every effort to win you over. What conditions have the Germans offered? Technology? Orders? Or political support?"

Wang Wenwu poured tea for the two men: "Consuls, these are diplomatic secrets."

"Secret?" Colonel Laroch's French was heavily accented. "You Chinese have an old saying: 'You can't hide fire with paper.' The German 'Leopard' is in Agadir. If you send a ship to the Mediterranean, you'll be playing with fire."

Wang Wenwu put down the teapot: "Colonel, may I ask why France is so obsessed with Morocco? What else is there besides desert and goats?"

DuPont and LaRocque exchanged a glance.

"Strategic location," DuPont said. "Controlling Morocco means controlling the southern shore of the Strait of Gibraltar. For France, this is the western gateway to the Mediterranean, and it must be in our own hands."

"And what about Germany? What do they want?"

"A naval base," Laroch said. "Germany wants an ice-free port on the Atlantic coast. Agadir is small, but it's well-located and has enough depth. If they succeed, German warships can enter the Atlantic at any time, threatening French and British shipping lanes."

Wang Wenwu nodded: "So this isn't a problem with Morocco, it's a problem with control of the sea."

"You're very perceptive," DuPont said. "So please tell President Chen: if Lanfang helps Germany gain control of the seas, it's tantamount to making an enemy of the entire Allied Powers. France, Britain, Russia... won't stand idly by."

"The Allied Powers..." Wang Wenwu repeated the term, "Is this a formal title?"

DuPont paused for a moment, realizing he had let something slip. After the signing of the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907, Britain, France, and Russia had effectively formed an alliance, but the term "Entente Powers" was never officially used.

"That's just a statement," DuPont said vaguely. "In short, we hope Lanfang will remain neutral. If possible... issue a statement supporting the resolutions of the Algeciras Conference at the appropriate time."

"I will pass it on."

After seeing the Frenchmen off, Wang Wenwu wearily sat back down in his chair. He glanced at the clock on the wall—four o'clock in the afternoon. He had already met with three groups of people that day, each carrying pressure and threats.

The secretary knocked and entered: "Minister, the German consulate has called again, asking when the President can meet with Major General Müller."

"Tomorrow, definitely tomorrow."

"And... Director Zhou from the Security Bureau has arrived."

Zhou Tieshan hurried in, holding a newly translated telegram in his hand.

"U-3's second report," he said in a low voice, "They have observed a large fleet assembly 100 nautical miles east of Sicily."

Wang Wenwu received the telegram:

"At 10:00 AM local time on July 6, at 37°12′N, 15°34′E, four battleships were observed: HMS Dreadnought (British), Courbet (French), Dante Alighieri (Italian), and Westphalia (German). Eight cruisers and twelve destroyers were also observed. All ships maintained their distance and no contact occurred."